Tamils in Réunion
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Malbars or Malabars are an ethnic group of South Indian
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...
origin in
Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...
, a French island in the Southwest Indian Ocean, The Malbars constitute 25% of the population of
Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...
and are estimated to be around 180,000. There have been people of South Indian origin on the island since the 17th century, and those were mostly from Pondicherry. Most were originally brought in as indentured labourers in the second half of the 19th century and were mostly South Indian Tamils. Since then, the Malbars have developed some patterns of behaviour that are not quite those of their ancestors from Tamil Nadu nor those of the other inhabitants of Réunion.


Etymology

Malbars is derived from the word
Malabar Malabar may refer to the following: People * Malabars, people originating from the Malabar region of India * Malbars or Malabars, people of Tamil origin in Réunion Places * Malabar Coast, or Malabar, a region of the southwestern shoreline o ...
, a term which was used often by the French and other Westerners to refer to all Southern Indians, including the Tamils,
Malayalees The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. They are predomina ...
, Telugus and Kannadigas. This term is based on the Malabar region of the present state of Kerala in India This term, applied by the French to Tamil labourers coming to Réunion, has been kept by the latter and others on the island to label their own identity.


History

Indian workers came to Réunion from South India, mostly from French settlements in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, and Karaikal. Most of these immigrants were ritually low in the
caste system Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...
. Hard living conditions at home were the main reason behind their departure to La Réunion. The immigration of indentured workers from South India started in 1827 but it was only after 1848 that indentured immigration began on a big scale.


Acculturation

The French government in Réunion made the first Malbars become Christian. However, many Malbars were only nominally Christian. The Tamil language was lost to language shift.: "Réunion is a typical example of outsourcing by the French East India Company, and its history reveals how an hybrid culture emanated amidst Tamil settlers there, who are Tamils but could not speak Tamil, their mother tongue lost in the interregnum of 5 generations of separation from their homeland ..."


Recent developments

The Malbars desire to learn their ancestors' culture, and started studying their language and religions especially from Tamil Nadu. Recently many Malbars, particularly those of upper and middle classes, have started to become completely
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
rather than nominally Christian.


Genetics

A genetic study has shown that the majority of the Indian origins of Malbars lie in the South-east of India. A significantly larger proportion comes from Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. The study also showed that 15-20% of the origins of Malbars come from elsewhere than India. Less than 1% comes from Europe.


Notable Malbars

*
Jean-Paul Virapoullé Jean-Paul Virapoullé ( ta, ழான் பால் வீரபிள்ளை) (born 15 March 1944 in Bras-Panon, Réunion) is a member of the Senate of France, representing the island of Réunion. Virapoullé is a member of the Union for ...
is currently Mayor of Saint Andre and first Vice President of the General Council of Réunion.


Tamil temples

* Chinmaya Mission temple, Quartier Francais, Sainte-Suzanne * Siva Soupramanien temple, Saint-Paul * Siva-Vishnou-Karli temple, Saint-Paul * Siva Soupramanien temple, Petit-Bazar on Avenue Ile-of-France, Saint-Andre * Sri Bala Subramanya temple, Saint Paul * Temple du Colosse, Saint André * Thiru Kalimata Temple, Sainte-Marie


See also

* Réunionnais of Indian origin * Tamil diaspora *
Hinduism in Réunion Hinduism in Réunion constitutes a significant part of the island's population. The island of Réunion is home to approximately 200,000 Indian descendants amongst the roughly 800,000 strong population. Estimates of practicing Hindus vary from 6.7% ...


Notes


External links


Indian Diaspora in Réunion

Réunion Tamils Cavadee
{{authority control Ethnic groups in Réunion Indian diaspora in France Tamil diaspora in Africa